Chapter 186: Confusion (3)

Within the isolated grounds where the Ravenclaw Academy was being built, there were a total of seven buildings.

The Delphinia Pavilion, which in practice would serve as the central academic building and the core responsible for the most important administrative tasks; taking the Delphinia Pavilion as a reference, to the east stood the Silver Crown Pavilion.

Designated for the education of young ladies; the magic classroom buildings, the Ravenclaw Pavilion and the Ribelten Pavilion; the dormitory building, Amaryllis House; the Clement Cultural Pavilion, where social activities would take place.

And lastly, the Bellos Pavilion, which had been ceded as the emperor’s exclusive residence.

If one continued toward the periphery, there were a few more buildings, but at the very least, that was the extent reached by Kohella’s barrier circle.

“We have gathered all the guests in the main hall of the Delphinia Pavilion. In addition, at the level of the imperial guard, a thorough inspection was carried out of every corner within the barrier circle, but no suspects were found.”

The head maid, Elpin, reported the situation to Dereck, who was seated in a corner of the administrative office of the Delphinia Pavilion.

That place, which in theory was meant to become the main workspace for the teaching staff, had been transformed into a provisional base where the key figures of the imperial guard evaluated the situation.

The Delphinia Pavilion, located at the center of the academic complex, was the most suitable site from which to observe and coordinate the overall state of Ravenclaw Academy.

Within the barrier circle that covered the academy’s construction site, multiple factions were intertwined, exchanging opinions and tensions.

On one side, the imperial delegation led by Princess Roselin and the guard; on the other, the nobles of the southwestern territories, led by Baron Ravenclaw; and, in addition, the group of magical advisors under Kohella’s command.

There were no direct confrontations between the representatives of each group, but it was impossible to avoid agitation among the subordinate members.

“Damn it! Are there really still people who believe those stories about six-star confusion mages and other absurd nonsense?!”

“Even if someone like that existed, there’s no way to capture them! From what I heard, there were more victims last night… at this rate we’re all going to die…!”

From the corridor came panic-filled voices of young nobles, unable to contain their fear.

The head maid Elpin lowered her head and looked at Dereck with an anxious expression, but he spoke without showing even a trace of emotional disturbance.

“How are the guests in the main hall?”

“There is enough food and water, so we are not lacking in basic necessities. However, since two more magical advisors died last night, everyone is even more agitated.”

“That was to be expected.”

The previous night, while a thorough search was being carried out among the empty buildings of Ravenclaw Academy to check whether someone was hiding there, two more magical advisors under Kohella’s orders were murdered.

One appeared hanging at the main entrance of the Ravenclaw Pavilion, and the other at the entrance of the Ribelten Pavilion, both with their arms outstretched, just as had happened before.

Of course, there were no clues.

There were no witnesses.

Nor any circumstantial evidence.

The method of the crime was clear kill, erase the memories of everyone present at the scene, and disappear calmly.

Of the imperial magical advisors Kohella had brought, only one remained.

A man named Dalton, who was so cornered by fear that he was beginning to show signs of confusion.

“Where is the last remaining magical advisor?”

“In the main hall of this Delphinia Pavilion. She is on the verge of losing her sanity from fear, but at least the main hall is the safest place, so we are protecting it along with the guests.”

Dereck held his breath, once again ran a hand over his dry face, and stood up from his seat.

“I need to go see the situation.”

“That is…”

“Is there a problem?”

“The state of the main hall is more chaotic than it appears. I suppose that, given the circumstances, it is inevitable.”

“Even with Princess Roselin there, can control not be maintained?”

“That’s right… with the situation as it is… there is a rumor that once all of Lady Kohella’s subordinates have died, the next targets will be the guests themselves.”

It was quite a reasonable deduction.

If Kohella did not lift the barrier even after losing all her subordinates, the killer could begin murdering the guests one by one—people with considerable influence in society.

The higher their status, the greater the likelihood that they would become targets.

If public opinion formed that Kohella was allowing the guests to die, she would have no choice but to deactivate the barrier circle.

However, Dereck knew.

— Don’t worry, Dereck.

That fanatic would not lift the barrier for anything in the world, at least until she discovered the six-star confusion mage.

Dereck stood up and silently headed down the corridor toward the main hall.

The head maid Elpin followed him, sweating coldly.

***

“Damn it… damn it… we’re going to die…! If we don’t do something right now, we’re really going to die…!”

“We know that guy killed the emperor and stole the imperial treasure, but… at this rate we’re all going to end up dead…”

“Shh…! Speak softly…! The princess might hear you…”

The Main Hall of the Delphinia Pavilion had literally turned into something resembling a refugee camp after a war.

Overturned tables, tableware rolling across the floor, and piles of fabrics and cushions on which the guests sat with utterly despondent expressions.

On the balcony of the second floor, Princess Roselin observed the entire hall from above.

A deep fatigue was reflected in her eyes.

Dereck went straight up to the balcony and greeted her.

“So it’s you? I received the report that last night, together with the imperial guard, you searched every corner of the academy. It seems there were no results.”

“It seems you haven’t slept at all.”

“Of course not. At least for these three days, I won’t be able to sleep a wink. I knew that from the beginning.”

Princess Roselin was a person marked from birth with the most special seal of the imperial family, one that made her immune to all types of magic.

Even within the Empire, her constitution was exceptional.

That was why she had never feared magic as a phenomenon in itself.

And precisely that quality of hers was the central key in the search for the confusion-type mage.

Under normal circumstances, there is no way to capture such a mage.

Someone capable of reading, manipulating, and erasing memories, and even deceiving perception and the senses, is practically impossible to identify.

However, as long as the exception called Roselin existed, there was a possibility.

She was completely immune to all confusion-type magic.

If someone began manipulating memories or adjusting people’s perception in an unnatural way, she would notice it instantly.

For that reason, from the perspective of the confusion-type mage, they could not manipulate memories indiscriminately.

In addition to the enormous mana consumption, the risk of being discovered was far too high.

As long as that “reference point” called Roselin existed, any excessive alteration would eventually turn against them and expose them.

“Even so, sitting here and observing the main hall from above has its interesting side.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Of course. Where else could you see territorial nobles, dressed in luxurious outfits and strutting as if the world belonged to them, trembling in fear simply because they fear death? Regardless of rank, everyone fears death.”

The fatigue was clearly visible on Princess Roselin’s face.

Her voice was beginning to waver, and her hair had lost its luster.

Even so, as long as she remained awake and conscious, that place continued to be the only safe space that the confusion-type mage could not access.

Aware of the crucial role she played, Roselin did not seem willing to rest even for a single moment.

“I am not exempt from that either.”

“…”

“As you can see, I’m exhausted. Spending one night without sleep is something I’m used to when I study or train, but if this drags on for two or three days, there’s a high chance I won’t endure it. And when that happens… the guests may start dying one by one.”

Although Princess Roselin did not feel any particular affection for the nobility, she understood perfectly the impact their deaths would have, and she did not want to bear that unnecessary risk.

After all, human life is not something that can be discarded lightly.

Although, in truth, there was something that mattered to her even more than that general sense of morality.

“That bastard killed my father.”

Roselin’s eyes burned with greater intensity.

Even in her exhausted state, a fierce flame was still alive in her gaze.

It was impossible to know what kind of father Emperor Gatrell had been to her.

But the fire of vengeance in her eyes made it perfectly clear what emotions dominated her.

“If I could tear him apart with my own hands, I would do so without hesitation. But I also cannot allow anger to make me commit a mistake.”

“If I’m being honest, the situation isn’t good. If they kill the last remaining magical advisor, this could truly escalate.”

“I know. The captain of the guard keeps repeating it. So tell me, do you really think the right thing to do is to let that murderer who killed my father and stole the greatest treasure of the Empire escape?”

“…”

Roselin looked at Dereck with an icy expression.

Many bureaucrats had surely already suggested to her that, if the situation worsened too much, perhaps the best course would be to lift the barrier and at least save the survivors.

As a ruler, that could be considered a reasonable decision.

Rather than remain trapped here with an impossible-to-capture killer, it might be better to secure safety and search for him calmly from outside.

But Roselin clenched her teeth.

Her stance was clearly opposed to lifting the barrier.

Although her reason differed from Kohella’s.

“They said that once all of Kohella’s subordinates are dead, the guests will start dying. That means the dark lioness of House Duplain, the leader Ellen of House Belmierd, or Denise of House Beltus could fall. After all, they are the most influential families in the southwest of the continent.”

“…”

“If the disciples you cherish so much are murdered, you won’t be very different from me either. You’ll burn with fury. Am I wrong?”

Dereck nodded.

He could not deny it.

Having grown up receiving guidance from great masters, he deeply valued the bond between teacher and disciple.

If his students were to die dragged down by this situation, he would undoubtedly bare his fangs to capture and execute the one responsible.

“As I said before, time is not on our side. If we’ve reached this point, the right thing to do is to find him immediately.”

“And do you have any clear method? I’ll warn you now relying on the Book of Longing is not a good option.”

Princess Roselin did not seem to have a favorable opinion of that magical artifact.

As the one who most wanted to capture the culprit, she had solid reasons for not resorting to it.

Dereck shook his head.

“Princess Roselin. I’m going to gamble.”

She raised her exhausted face with difficulty to look at him.

He always spoke in a dry tone, but his words sometimes carried great weight.

Dereck raised one arm and showed her how the tips of his fingers were trembling slightly.

It was rare to see someone like him, who did not flinch even in the worst situations, so tense.

“If you think about it a bit, you’ll understand. Once the head of the imperial mages is dead, who do you think that confusion-type mage will target first? Duplain? Belmierd? Beltus?”

“…”

“It won’t be any of them.”

Only then did Princess Roselin understand why Dereck was trembling so subtly.

To cause even greater chaos in this place and plunge everyone into terror, one had to strike at the head of command.

And in this scenario, there were only three people who held real authority.

On the Empire’s side, Roselin.

On the side of the magical advisors, Kohella.

And finally, the true operational authority of the academy Dereck.

Roselin could not be affected by magic.

Killing Kohella was, in itself, a nearly impossible task.

So by elimination, only one option remained.

“Y-you…?”

The pupils of Princess Roselin, who always maintained an aloof and cold composure, trembled for an instant.

The face of Dereck reflected in her eyes was, as always, expressionless.

“…”

Dereck could die at any moment.

Without even realizing it, his consciousness could be snuffed out all at once, like an extinguished candle, and his life would be lost.

Every second was a boundary between life and death.

If he were at least exploring a labyrinth, he could search for safe zones or remain alert to protect himself.

But here, he could not even resist.

It was like wandering inside a fog of death, without knowing when or from where the end would come.

Death is something everyone fears.

That was exactly what Princess Roselin had just said.

And Dereck was no exception.

In a corner of the main hall, one could see a magical advisor who, seized by panic, had fallen into a state of confusion, trembling as he wet himself.

It was a pitiful and shameful sight, but not incomprehensible.

Being hunted by an imperceptible killer was a stress capable of completely pulverizing human reason.

All it took was closing and opening one’s eyes to find oneself directly in the afterlife.

And yet.

Dereck showed only a slight tremor at the tips of his fingers.

He did not writhe on the floor pathetically, nor did he shrink into a corner dominated by fear.

He was a man accustomed to having the blade of death brushing against his neck.

“Y-you… can you keep your sanity in a situation like this?”

“Can’t you see? My fingers are trembling.”

Princess Roselin realized that the man called Dereck was not an ordinary person.

If Dereck himself, who in practice directed all the academy staff, were to break under fear or show hesitation, everyone present would fall into chaos.

Perhaps, after rolling around for so long in the world of the nobility, this man had begun to acquire, without realizing it, the qualities of a ruler.

Roselin began to see Dereck in a different light.

At the very least, he was not someone destined to rot away tending vineyards in a peripheral region.

“For me, it may be enormous pressure, but it’s also a great opportunity.”

“Opportunity… you say…?”

“As long as that terrified magical advisor remains within Princess Roselin’s field of vision, he will remain safe. Then that confusion-type bastard will inevitably come to kill me.”

The enemy’s next target could be deduced.

And if that was the case, a trap could also be set.

Of course, every opportunity had a price.

“I’ll put my life up as the stake. If I win, will you collect the winnings, Princess Roselin?”

Dereck grabbed Princess Roselin’s slender arm and spoke with a terrifying expression.

Faced with that proposal, Roselin could only remain with her mouth slightly open.

He was speaking completely seriously.

He truly intended to resolve this extreme situation immediately and decisively.

“…!”